10 Days Tour from Tangier to Casablanca via the Sahara
The north, the Sahara, Marrakech and two Atlantic ports in one unhurried loop of the kingdom
Tour Overview
This 10 days tour from Tangier to Casablanca is a private circuit of about 1,950 km. It crosses Morocco from the Strait of Gibraltar through Fes and the Sahara to Marrakech, then follows the Atlantic coast through Essaouira and El Jadida to Casablanca.
It suits travellers who arrive in the north, often by ferry from Spain, and fly home from Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN). You travel in your own vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, and nobody else joins your group.
The tour comes in two accommodation tiers on the same route. Luxury uses boutique riads, Relais & Châteaux properties and a private-bathroom desert camp. Standard uses comfortable, well-reviewed riads and hotels in the same towns. Everything else, the driver, the vehicle and the visits, is identical.
- Route: Tangier → Chefchaouen → Fes → Merzouga → Dades Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech → Essaouira → El Jadida → Casablanca
- Length: 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end: pickup in Tangier, drop-off in Casablanca, at the airport or your hotel
- Group: private, 1 to 6 travellers in one vehicle
- Price: from $1,750 for your group in the Standard tier. Prices are per group, not per person, and indicative: the final price is set once the itinerary is personalised. The Luxury tier is quoted on request.
- Best months: March to May and September to November. Summer days in the desert pass 40°C and winter nights at the camp drop close to freezing, but the tour runs all year.
- Customisable: add nights, swap a stop or change the pace. The route is a starting point, not a fixed package.
Highlights
Chefchaouen: Walk the blue-washed lanes of the Rif Mountains town on the first day's drive south.
Fes el-Bali: Spend a full day in the UNESCO-listed medina with a local guide, from Al Quaraouiyine to the Chouara Tanneries.
Erg Chebbi: Ride a camel into dunes up to 150 meters high for sunset and spend the night at a desert camp.
Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley: Walk between 300-meter cliffs and sleep in the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs.
Aït Benhaddou: Visit the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar before crossing the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass.
Marrakech: A full guided day at the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Majorelle Garden and Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Essaouira: Two nights in the walled Atlantic port, with its Skala ramparts, blue fishing boats and UNESCO-listed medina.
El Jadida: Explore the Portuguese City of Mazagan, a UNESCO site, and its vaulted underground cistern.
Hassan II Mosque: End in Casablanca at the ocean-front mosque with its 210-meter minaret.
Why Choose a Private Tour?
Detailed Itinerary
The Journey
"Your driver meets you at Tangier airport, the ferry port or your hotel and heads south into the green Rif Mountains. You stop for lunch and a walk through the blue medina of Chefchaouen, then continue to Fes, arriving in the evening."
The Journey
"A full day in Fes with a local guide. Fes el-Bali is the largest car-free medina in the world, and the visit covers Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 AD, the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Nejjarine Fountain, the Chouara Tanneries and the Mellah. The day ends with the view over the medina from the Merenid Tombs."
The Journey
"This is the longest drive of the tour, broken into easy stages. You stop in Ifrane, then in the Azrou cedar forest to look for Barbary macaques, cross the Middle Atlas and have lunch in Midelt. In the afternoon the road follows the palm groves of the Ziz Valley south to Merzouga. Camels wait at the edge of Erg Chebbi for a sunset ride of 1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer, to your desert camp. Dinner is served under the stars."
The Journey
"Wake early to watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The road west passes through Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where you walk along the river between cliffs more than 300 meters high. You continue to the Dades Valley, known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, and stay overnight among its red rock formations."
The Journey
"You drive through the Rose Valley around Kelaat M'Gouna and on to Ouarzazate, where you can see the Taourirt Kasbah. Next is Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-listed earthen ksar used as a film set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. In the afternoon you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and descend to Marrakech."
The Journey
"A local guide takes you through the Red City: the 19th-century Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Majorelle Garden and the souks of the medina. The day ends at Jemaa el-Fnaa square as the food stalls and storytellers set up for the evening."
The Journey
"The road west crosses the argan forest, where goats sometimes climb the trees, and you can stop at a women's cooperative that presses argan oil. You reach Essaouira by lunchtime, with the afternoon free on the beach or in the walled medina."
The Journey
"A slow day in the old port of Mogador. Walk the Skala de la Ville ramparts, watch the blue fishing boats come into the harbour and browse the thuya-wood workshops of the UNESCO-listed medina. The afternoon is yours for the beach, a hammam or a seafood lunch at the port."
The Journey
"A short drive to Casablanca for the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic, with its 210-meter minaret. Your driver then takes you to Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN) or your hotel."
Trip Logistics & Comfort: What to Expect
VIP Airport Welcome
Your private driver meets you in Tangier with a sign bearing your name, at the airport, the port or your hotel.
Your Private Vehicle
Your Driver & Guide
"Your driver is more than a chauffeur; he is your local host."
Transparent Pricing & Inclusions
The price covers your private vehicle, fuel, driver-guide, 9 nights of accommodation in the tier you choose, the camel ride and the visits listed below. You pay separately for lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips.
What is Included
- Private TransportationToyota Land Cruiser Prado with A/C, fuel and highway tolls included.
- Driver-GuideEnglish-speaking driver-guide dedicated to your group for all 10 days.
- Door-to-Door ServicePickup at Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG), the Tangier ferry port or your hotel in Tangier, and drop-off at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN) or your hotel in Casablanca.
- Accommodation (9 nights)Luxury tier properties are listed below. Standard tier uses comfortable riads and hotels in the same towns. Similar properties are booked if one is full.
- • Nights 1 & 2 (Fes): Riad Fes (Relais & Châteaux), Riad Karawan or Riad Laaroussa.
- • Night 3 (Merzouga): Sahara Magic Camp or Luxury Desert Camp Merzouga.
- • Night 4 (Dades Valley): Xaluca Dades Hotel or Auberge Chez Pierre.
- • Nights 5 & 6 (Marrakech): Villa des Orangers (Relais & Châteaux), Riad Kniza or La Maison Arabe.
- • Nights 7 & 8 (Essaouira): Villa Maroc or Riad Chbanate.
- • Night 9 (El Jadida): Pullman Mazagan Royal Golf or L'Iglesia.
- Meals
- • Breakfast every day.
- • Dinner at the desert camp (Night 3) and in the Dades Valley (Night 4).
- Experiences
- • Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset (1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer) and back at sunrise.
- • Local guide for a full day in the Fes el-Bali medina.
- • Local guide for a full day in Marrakech.
What is Not Included
- LunchesAllow approximately €10–€12 (100–120 MAD) per person, per meal. (We stop at clean, local restaurants).
- DrinksWater, soda, and alcohol at hotels.
- Entrance FeesMonuments, museums and gardens, such as the Hassan II Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden.
- TipsDiscretionary tips for your driver, local guides and porters.
- Flights & InsuranceInternational or domestic flights and travel insurance.
Places on this route: Tangier · Chefchaouen · Fes · Merzouga · Dades Valley · Aït Benhaddou · Marrakech · Essaouira · El Jadida · Casablanca
Tour Details
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